Democratic Party gains momentum, takes lead in poll

  Over 45 percent of South Korea's voters are leaning towards supporting candidates from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea in the upcoming April 10 general election, to keep the Yoon Suk Yeol government in check. The results of a poll conducted by Jowon C&I, commissioned by The Korea Herald and Herald Business from Mar. 25 to 27, indicate a positive trend for the Democratic Party on Sunday. Out of the total of 4,041 respondents aged 18 or older, 45.1 percent responded that &

March 31, 2024

Rival parties' leaders woo voters in capital area ahead of April 10 election

Political rival parties escalated their campaigns for the April 10 general election on Sunday, particularly in the wider capital area, which constitutes about half of the 300 seats in the National Assembly and thus holds significant sway over the election outcome. Surrounded by cheering supporters, the leaders of the country's two major parties held rival events in Greater Seoul on Sunday. The move is aimed at winning voters in the capital area since the number of seats chosen by direct vot

March 31, 2024

Yoon calls for US lawmakers' support for S. Korean firms

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday called on a group of US lawmakers to support South Korean companies operating in the world's largest economy, the presidential office said. Yoon made the request to the visiting US delegation in Seoul while discussing measures to strengthen bilateral ties in a wide range of areas from security, economy and technology to culture and space, according to his office. "Active investment and economic cooperation between South Korea and the United States have

March 29, 2024

[Photo News] Special instructor for the day

President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a lecture about the 2023 launch of the Nuri rocket after making a surprise appearance at a class of first graders as a special instructor for the after-school Neulbom program at Ain Elementary School in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yoon's class involved a presentation of a video about the domestically manufactured rocket, reading the children a book about space and rockets and hands-on activities to teach the class about rocket propulsion, according

March 29, 2024

Yoon approves resignation of ambassador to Australia amid controversy over his appointment

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday approved the resignation of Ambassador to Australia Lee Jong-sup amid mounting criticism of his appointment and departure that came despite the fact that he was subject to an investigation. Lee offered his resignation earlier Friday, 25 days after he was appointed to the position, as he has been under intense scrutiny since he was named the ambassador in Canberra early this month, after revelations that he had been banned from leaving the country over the invest

March 29, 2024

Spy cameras found at 26 early voting stations nationwide: interior ministry

The interior ministry said Friday it has inspected all early voting stations across the country ahead of the April 10 parliamentary elections and found spy cameras at 26 facilities as of 6 p.m. The inspection took place a day after police detained a YouTuber in his 40s on suspicions of installing spy cameras at early voting polling stations in two cities -- Incheon and Yangsan --, where early voting will take place. Police said they have found spy cameras at five stations in Incheon, west of Seo

March 29, 2024

New GTX line connecting Dongtan, Suseo in 20 min. to launch Saturday

The new high-frequency suburban rail service for commuters named Great Train Express (GTX) is set to begin operation on Saturday, marking a watershed moment in the evolution of Seoul's public transportation. President Yoon Suk Yeol said Friday the GTX network will grow to become the South Korean equivalent of the Crossrail of London and its suburbs in the United Kingdom, and the RER centering around Paris. Those using the commuter rail network to travel from Suseo Station in southern Seoul to Do

March 29, 2024

Lee Jong-sup resigns as envoy to Australia

Lee Jong-sup, South Korea’s ambassador to Australia, on Friday has given up the post less than a month after he was appointed. The former national defense minister’s offer to step down follows a controversy over his his taking on the job while still under investigation over the death of a marine in July last year. President Yoon Suk Yeol approved his resignation later the same day, according to his press office. Twenty-year-old Corporal Chae Su-geun died when he was swept away by an

March 29, 2024

Korea enters full election mode

South Korea shifted into full-scale election mode Thursday, with political parties launching their official campaigns to stretch until the general election on April 10 that is expected to shape the political landscape for the next four years. For the next 13 days, eligible candidates representing their parties are allowed to use loudspeakers and trucks with megaphones for campaigning activities in open spaces from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the National Election Commission on Thursday. The t

March 28, 2024

Far-right lawmaker candidate forcefully detains migrant workers

Police have initiated an investigation into a candidate for the National Assembly who has taken it upon himself to forcefully detain and inspect migrant workers, a local media outlet reported Wednesday. Police in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and Daegu received multiple complaints alleging that Park Jin-jae, a candidate for the Liberty Unification Party, has been accosting people who appear to be migrant workers, according to a report by the Kyunghyang Shinmun. The Liberty Unification P

March 28, 2024

Official campaigning kicks off for April 10 elections

Official campaigning kicked off Thursday for the April 10 general elections, with the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party vying fiercely for control of the National Assembly. The quadrennial race holds significant importance for the ruling party as failure to regain a majority could potentially render President Yoon Suk Yeol a lame duck for the remaining three years of his single five-year term. The main opposition Democratic Party aims to retain its parliamentary

March 28, 2024

[Election Battlefield] Political novice to face off star politician in ‘swing district’

On a rainy Monday afternoon in Dongjak-gu, southwestern Seoul, four-term lawmaker and star politician Na Kyung-won stepped inside the underground Sadang Station around 5:50 p.m. to greet tired commuters returning home from work. Faces of several Dongjak-gu residents who spotted the 60-year-old former judge-turned-politician lit up as they approached her to shake hands. Some even took photos with her, acting like excited fans who finally met their rock star. Greeting commuters returning from wo

March 27, 2024

Ruling party leader pledges to relocate National Assembly to Sejong

The ruling party interim leader pledged Wednesday to relocate the National Assembly to the administrative city of Sejong to balance out the political power currently concentrated in the nation’s capital. Han Dong-hoon, the interim chief of the People Power Party, revealed plans to push for “complete relocation of the National Assembly to Sejong to end an era of Yeouido politics,” in a press conference held some two weeks ahead of the April 10 legislative election. Yeouido, an

March 27, 2024

Yoon offers to jointly discuss next year's medical budget with doctors

President Yoon Suk Yeol offered Tuesday to jointly discuss next year's medical budget with the medical community, his office said, amid a protracted walkout by junior doctors protesting an increase in the medical school enrollment quota. Yoon instructed his aides to make the proposal to the medical community after he held a meeting with medical staff at Hankook General Hospital in Cheongju, 112 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to Lee Do-woon, senior presidential secretary for public

March 26, 2024

S. Korea seeks W200tr biotech industrial output by 2035

  South Korea is poised to quintuple its biotechnology industrial output in 15 years, to 200 trillion won ($149 billion) by 2035 from 43 trillion won as of 2020, according to President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday. The Ministry of Science and ICT defined life science industrial output as domestic outputs of all types of biopharmaceutical products including biosimilars, medical equipment, supplements, biomass and biotech-related services. Moreover, his administration will nurture an environment

March 26, 2024

Banks compete for foreign customers

Recognizing the expansion of the foreign population in Korea, banks are striving to improve access for foreign residents here by providing customized services from the point of arrival to departure. As Foreign nationals are expected to take up a more significant portion of Korea’s demographics amid the nation's continued population decline, local lenders are looking to woo foreign customers through designated communication channels. Korea's top four financial groups -- KB, Shinha

March 26, 2024

Med student hike, a must for competent regional hospitals: Yoon

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday reiterated his stance that the medical school expansion plan is a prerequisite for improving the quality of care at regional hospitals. At a Cabinet meeting held in his office Tuesday, Yoon said the plan to increase the school quota by 2,000 to 5,058 starting 2025 -- confirmed on March 20 -- is "a minimum requirement" to address the doctor shortage and improve the medical system, especially in remote areas. Under the plan, the students admitted to sch

March 26, 2024

Overseas voting to kick off this week ahead of April 10 elections

Overseas voting for the April 10 general elections is set to kick off this week and run for the next six days at 220 polling stations across 115 countries, the National Election Commission said Tuesday. A total of 147,989 people are eligible for overseas voting set for Wednesday through Monday, the NEC said. Eligible voters unable to participate in the overseas voting or those wishing to cast their ballots in South Korea can do so on the voting day if they report to regional election commissions

March 26, 2024

[Election Battlefield] Power of young voters gains traction in chip cluster

HWASEONG, Gyeonggi Province -- Hwaseong City lies at the heart of South Korea's chip industry cluster in the southern part of Gyeonggi Province, which anticipates a total of 622 trillion won ($462.1 billion) in spending by 2047 and 3 million new jobs. With a large capital commitment constantly drawing young voters to the chip cluster in the south of Seoul, the number of constituencies in five such cities -- Hwaseong, Suwon, Yongin, Pyeongtaek and Icheon -- increased to 17 for the April elec

March 25, 2024

North Korea going for short-range missiles a ‘Japan-conscious move’: Seoul’s ex-vice defense chief

CHEONAN, South Chungcheong Province -- Shin Beom-chul, who until recently served as the deputy national defense minister, said that North Korea limiting its weapons testing to short-range missiles last week “may have been a Japan-conscious move.” Speaking with The Korea Herald, he said that as Pyongyang has been courting a summit with Tokyo, “anything beyond short-range missiles being fired toward the sea east of Korea would have the potential to be perceived by the Japanese as

March 25, 2024